Soothing Past Scars
by BittersweetXDInsanity
Summary: "It felt overwhelmingly intimate to have her caress my most damaged parts; as if her touch could heal my cancer infested body. The two of us were irreparably broken, yet somehow I was more complete with her by my side." Augustus and Hazel share a tender moment during the weeks leading up to the Last Good Day. One-shot. (Augustus' POV)


**Soothing Past Scars**

**(Augustus' POV) **

I woke up in a narcotic induced haze, my leg throbbing. Groggily, I reached my hand down to where the pain was radiating from. My hand met the spot where my scarred flesh merged with fiberglass, and I groaned as I realized I must have fallen asleep wearing my prosthetic leg.

I blinked rapidly as my eyes adjusted to the dimly lit basement. Tangled sheets warmed by body heat and perspiration were strewn across the bed, which was indented slightly by the weight of two bodies. Hazel had been reading to me, her soft voice lulling me into semi-consciousness. Eventually, she had placed the book on the dresser and rested her head upon my shoulder, both of us succumbing to slumber.

As the fog from the cancer fighting drugs dissipated, I could feel her feet wrapped around my real foot, a quantum entanglement of tubes and bodies. I shifted my head to the left so I could observe her sleep. Her hair was sticking up on her head like the crest of an exotic bird, while her features were relaxed except for her furrowed brow. I wondered if Hazel was having a nightmare. Careful not to wake her, I leaned in to stroke her frown. When I did so, her face was nose-touchingly close; I couldn't resist the urge to press my lips softly against hers.

I stayed like that for a while until I couldn't ignore the pain in my leg. As much as I didn't want to move, waiting for the pain to cease would have been ignorant. Cautiously, I sat up and removed my prosthetic, which proved to be a difficult task with Hazel's arms draped across my chest. Not that I really minded having her body sprawled over mine.

Setting my leg down quietly in its stand, I reached over to retrieve the soothing cream designed to numb pain. The scars were inflamed to an angry shade of red, demanding relief from the discomfort. As I dipped my fingers into the cream, I felt Hazel's hand on mine, halting me. I looked down at her and smiled crookedly. I would never get tired of seeing her there, lying next to me.

"Are you okay?" she asked groggily.

I whispered, even though it was only the two of us. "I didn't mean to wake you. I'm sorry."

"Your leg?" she inquired as she moved to sit up beside me, noticing the cream in my hand.

I sighed. "I've had the prosthetic on since yesterday and it's a little bit sore."

Hazel smiled slowly, an amorous smile that she saved only for me. "Let me help."

I shifted, slightly uncomfortable with the idea of her applying the medicated cream onto my leg. "You don't have to. I'm just a little worse for wear, Hazel. I'm okay."

She didn't listen to me. Instead, she gently pried the jar out of my hands and kissed my forehead.

"I want to," Hazel said. She sat up purposefully; her attractive figure silhouetted against the darkness of the room and dipped her fingers into the jar. After a thoughtful pause, she reached for my thigh and allowed her hand to trail downward towards the thick scarred skin, gauging my level of discomfort. I flinched.

"Does that hurt?" She asked, still holding my leg.

"No, just cold," I replied, which wasn't a total lie. Hazel's hands were always freezing due to under oxygenation, and the cream was cold. But there was also the initial shock of her touching my scars for the second time, a vulnerability I had felt in Amsterdam. She touched me as if my body was made of porcelain and I was once again breakable in her hands, my insecurities threatening to shatter me. But after she started rubbing the cream into my soreness, I was taken aback by how amazing it felt. I only ever rubbed my leg in an utilitarian way, just to get it done. But Hazel gently applied the cream with tenderness and attention, soothing my insecurities. It felt overwhelmingly intimate to have her caress my most damaged parts; as if her touch could heal my cancer infested body. The two of us were irreparably broken, yet somehow I was more complete with her by my side.

Lost in my reverie, I failed to notice when Hazel stopped and just looked at me. "What are you thinking?" She asked, a small smile dancing at the edge of her lips, beckoning my own.

I smiled crookedly and told her the truth. "How remarkable you are. How sublime it is to wake up in this imperfect world and feel happy, despite these circumstances we find ourselves in because I'm in it with you..."

She shook her head, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks, completely oblivious to how beautiful she was.

"Honestly," I assured her. "You fight against inhuman pressures every day; pressures that would crush anyone else."

"Gus," She put her fingers to my lips, but I continued.

"You have your own battles to fight, yet you're still here with me. Even though-"

"Augustus."

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

And then she leaned forward, moving her hand to my cheek and pressing her lips against mine. It was a short kiss; tender and light.

But as she was pulling away, I caught her by the hindmost part of her neck, drawing her in again.

"I love you too, Hazel Grace."

Then I kissed her with all the passion she deserved and I desired. She responded eagerly, running her hand across my shoulder blade while the other rested on my chest for support. I brought my hands up to smooth down her ruffled hair, marveling at how silky it was. In her embrace, I was alive. _This, _I thought,_ is what vitality feels like._

I decided that I wanted to kiss Hazel for the rest of my life. When our mouths touched, I was too busy savoring her lips to worry about how many kisses we may have left. There was no room to obsess over my scars, because I was preoccupied with the feel of her silky skin against mine. In that moment, the time I had left was no longer relevant; we were infinite.

**A/N:** **Thank-you for reading. The Fault in Our Stars is my favorite novel of all time, and plan on writing other one-shots like this in the future. If you have any one-shot requests, please pm me or leave it in a review. Your feedback is what inspires me to write, and I would really love to know what you thought of this. –Dedicated Nerdfighter, BittersweetXDInsanity :D**


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